bp Drills at El Fayoum-5 Gas Well, Discovers Potential Gas Reservoirs

bp, using the Valaris DS-12 rig, successfully concluded drilling operations at the El Fayoum-5 gas discovery well in the North Alexandria Offshore Concession. Upon completion, the company discovered four potential Messinian gas reservoirs at a depth of approximately 2,900 meters, with a total sand thickness of 50 meters.

"This reinforces bp’s commitment to Egypt and its growing energy needs,” said William Lin, EVP of Gas & Low Carbon, bp. “With Raven Infills Phase 2 already contributing to production, we’re now fast-tracking the El King and Fayoum discoveries to tie into our West Nile Delta infrastructure. The delivery of Raven Infills is fully in line with our priority to grow the upstream and high grade our portfolio across the world.”

This drilling operation represents the final well in bp’s four-slot drilling campaign, under the West Nile Delta (WND) Gas Development project. The company will tie back these reservoir discoveries, via pipeline, to its WND project. The El Fayoum-5 encounter marks bp’s second gas discovery in recent months, following the El King-2 well in the North King Mariout Offshore Concession.

El Fayoum-5 gas well; image credit: Arabian Drilling Co.

WND features a series of gas condensate fields located offshore Egypt, within the North Alexandria and West Mediterranean Deepwater concessions. Its initial phase developed eight subsea wells, located up to 65 km offshore, at water depths ranging from 550 to 700 meters. bp, the project operator, holds an 82.75% stake, while Harbour Energy owns the remaining 17.25%.

More bp News

In late February 2025, bp and the Republic of Iraq agreed to invest in, rehabilitate, and redevelop several large-scale oil fields in Kirkuk, focusing on oil and gas, power generation, and water, with an additional investment option for exploration. Under the agreement, bp will partner with North Oil Co. (NOC), North Gas Co. (NGC), and an unincorporated operator to establish a drilling program, rehabilitate existing wells and facilities, and build new infrastructure and gas expansion projects. The project is expected to begin in 2025.

The initial-phase agreement covers the oil and gas production of over 3 billion barrels of oil equivalent across several domes and fields, including the:

• Baba dome (Kirkuk oil field)
• Avanah dome (Kirkuk oil field)
• Bai Hassan field
• Jambur field
• Khabbaz field

The NOC currently operates these assets, but the contract’s wider resource opportunity across Kirkuk and the surrounding area is projected to include up to 20 billion barrels of oil equivalent. Project investment may bring opportunity and economic growth into the Kirkuk region, improving supply chain capability and spurring job creation.

And in January, Kosmos Energy announced that first gas production started at the Greater Tortue Ahemyim (GTA) LNG project offshore Mauritania and Senegal. With bp as operator, gas from GTA’s initial phase flowed from wells to a floating production, storage, and offloading vessel prior to its transportation and liquefaction in a floating LNG vessel.

Upon final commissioning, GTA Phase 1 may produce approximately 2.3 mtpa of LNG, along with the floating LNG vessel nameplate capacity of around 2.7 mtpa. First LNG production and cargo is scheduled for Q1 2025, enabling Mauritania and Senegal to become an LNG production hub in West Africa.